Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a warning to Alejandro Garnacho about the challenges of playing in the Serie A, branding it as the “most difficult league for forwards.”
The Manchester United winger, whose contract at Old Trafford runs until June 2028, has been strongly linked with a move to Napoli as a potential replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Despite only scoring three goals and providing one assist in his 19 Premier League appearances this season, Garnacho has attracted interest from abroad.
SportItalia report that Napoli bos Antonio Conte sees Garnacho as a possible successor to Kvaratskhelia, who is reportedly close to joining Paris Saint-Germain.
Napoli’s £38million offer for the Argentina international is said to have fell short of United’s valuation, with the Red Devils reportedly seeking £60m.
United aren’t actively looking to cash in on Garnacho but will listen to suitable offers for all first-team players in a bid to raise funds to fuel Ruben Amorim’s mammoth rebuild.
However, the sale of Garnacho, a product of United’s academy, would represent pure profit and help the club comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
It remains unclear whether the 20-year-old is interested in a move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, especially given Ronaldo’s comments about the difficulty of Serie A for forwards.
While speaking to DAZN back in December 2019, the ex-Juventus ace admitted his astonishment at the level of competition in Serie A compared to his La Liga days with Rell Madrid.
Ronaldo told BeIN Sports: “I’ve adapted to the Italian league and it’s a difficult league – the most difficult one for all forwards.
“It’s the most difficult league for me, it’s full of quality players. I didn’t expect this much quality in the Italian league, they’re very good.
“It’s harder to score in the Italian league than in the Spanish league. The Spanish league is more open, the teams risk more. Here, not so much.
“Here, the team’s priority is to defend first, and then to attack. That’s not true for Spain. Spanish games are more open.
“The English league, where I played for five years [with Manchester United], is the same. It’s harder to score in the Italian league, in my opinion.”
